Premier League: Manchester City Found Guilty on All Charges

Manchester City have been found guilty on all charges relating to alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
An independent commission concluded that during this period, Manchester City entered into a number of “sham contracts” with commercial partners and relied on “sham agreements” designed to artificially inflate the club’s revenue and reduce its expenses.
The commission confirmed a number of breaches by Manchester City:
- The club entered into “sham” contracts with several commercial partners, which allegedly did not reflect the true nature of the agreements between the parties. It also relied on “sham” arrangements with other parties to artificially increase its reported revenue and reduce costs.
- Manchester City submitted financial information containing misleading figures and concealed the true state of the club’s finances from its auditors and football's regulatory authorities.
- The club substantially breached spending limits imposed by both the Premier League and UEFA.
- During the Premier League's investigation, Manchester City repeatedly breached its obligations to cooperate with the league and act in accordance with the principle of utmost good faith. Three of the four alleged breaches were found to have been proven.
The ruling is not necessarily the final word on the matter. Manchester City have the right to appeal the independent commission’s findings and must exercise that right by Friday, October 2.
